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Brain Wars

Traumatic brain injury is considered the “signature wound” of soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Official military statistics show that more than 115,000 soldiers have suffered mild traumatic brain injuries since the wars began. Shock waves from roadside bombs can ripple through soldiers’ brains, causing damage that sometimes leaves no visible scars but may cause lasting mental and physical harm.

Five soldiers injured in the same 2009 bomb blast are a case study in a new epidemic among America's troops, who are grappling with a combination of concussion and post-traumatic stress disorder. More »

Tricare, which covers nearly 4 million troops and military retirees, denies coverage of cognitive rehabilitation to traumatic brain injury victims, despite consensus from medical specialists who say it improves the quality of life. More »

The military medical system is failing to diagnose brain injuries in tens of thousands of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many of them receive little or no treatment for lingering health problems, an investigation by ProPublica and NPR has found. More »

Even when traumatic brain injury is diagnosed in soldiers, treatment can be hard to come by. At Fort Bliss, Texas, a building to screen for such injuries remains closed nearly a year after its completion. More »

With the help of virtual-reality machines and a bevy of specialists, Sgt. Victor Medina's thinking and speaking rapidly improved. But he's among only a tiny fraction of brain-injured soldiers who get access to the most advanced treatment at military's new state-of-the-art center in Maryland.

Defense Department leaders and lawmakers have taken steps to improve the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries since ProPublica and NPR began a two-year investigation, but progress remains incremental.

Pressure increases on the military to improve mental health care as new data shows that 51 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are treated by the VA for psychological problems, up from 20 percent in 2004.

The Army’s move comes in response to an investigation published last September by ProPublica and NPR that revealed some soldiers had been wrongly denied the medal despite regulations that made them eligible for it.

The National Institutes of Medicine convened the first of what's expected to be a series of public panels to help determine whether cognitive rehabilitation therapy could help heal troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Citing an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, 74 members of Congress have signed a letter demanding that Tricare, the Pentagon’s health plan, provide treatment for troops with traumatic brain injuries.

Sen. Claire McCaskill's committee wants to examine a contract between Tricare, the Pentagon's health plan, and ECRI Institute, which found insufficient evidence to support cognitive rehabilitation therapy.

Tricare, which covers nearly 4 million troops and military retirees, denies coverage of cognitive rehabilitation to traumatic brain injury victims, despite consensus from medical specialists who say it improves the quality of life.